A number of designs have been proposed for necktie racks for display and storage purposes. For example, the early patent to Runtz, U.S. Pat. 655,739, discloses a display rack for supporting several pretied neckties of an older type. The patent to Henninger, U.S. Pat. 1,687,129, on the other hand, discloses a necktie holder for untied neckties which includes springs for holding the ties on the tie supports.
A further example is shown in the patent to Pedersen, U.S. Pat. No. 2,914,182, which discloses a tie rack which accommodates both untied four-in-hand ties and pretied bow ties. Another patent dealing with a tie rack for pretied neckties is that of Williams, U.S. Pat. No. 2,361,266. With regard to racks generally, the patent to Lodato, U.S. Pat. No. 2,606,711, discloses a hanger or rack having adjustable ends for mounting the hanger on a door.
While the majority of neckties sold in the United States are of the untied, four-in-hand type, pretied neckties of the type having a single clip near the rear center of the knot which are attached to the shirt of the wearer, have gained increasing popularity in recent years and it is quite common for a person to include both types of neckties in his wardrobe. Prior art tie racks, however, appear to be designed to support only a single type of tie, to be of unduly complicated and hence expensive design, or both.
Thus it will be seen that, despite an obvious interest in tie rack design for an extended period of time, as evidenced by the above noted patents, a need still exists for a combination tie rack which will not only accommodate both untied, four-in-hand type ties but the modern, pretied, clip attached ties on a single rack, but which is not undnly complicated in structure and hence prohibitively expensive to produce.